July 11, 2010 | The Chronicle of Higher Education

President Obama has postponed travel to Indonesia, his childhood home, three times since taking office, the latest visit sidelined in June by the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

But a “comprehensive partnership” to deepen relations between the two countries is steaming ahead, one that has as a critical tenet the expansion of higher-education ties. At the recent G-20 summit meeting in Toronto, Mr. Obama announced that the United States would spend $165-million over the next five years on programs to help strengthen higher education in Indonesia through educational exchanges and university partnerships. The two countries will also hold a higher-education summit next summer.[more]